http://www.lowellsun.com/todaysheadlines/ci_12028405

The link is to my story on 2008's crime statistics, in case you made it here without reading that first. It's plenty to think about, and I'll probably write several follow ups on the information as time passes.

In light of all that bad news, I was reminded of how often Superintendent Lavallee encourages neighborhood groups and residents to help police. I've heard him say it a million times at neighborhood meetings.

No matter how good an officer walking the beat is, chances are he or she doesn't know a neighborhood as well as the folks who have lived there for 30 years. And I'd imagine that most homeowners would rather prevent a break-in on their own, rather than need to call police at some point.

A good example came just last night. At 11:30 p.m., I heard Deputy Superintendent Arthur Ryan talking on police radio about an otherwise run of the mill alarm call that police had responded to.
I drove by to see what might have drawn the deputy out so late at night, when he was off-duty and on his own time.
It turns out it really was just a run of the mill call, but the alarm had gone off in a home owned by a friend of the deputy who is out of town. Since the homeowners are away I won't be sharing the address where this happened.

A window in the house had been opened, but nothing inside was taken. It looked like a residential alarm had scared someone off just as they headed into the window. Ryan said that's pretty normal. In all his years on the force, he has almost never seen a home with an audible alarm get broken into.
Once the alarm goes off, it's just easier for a crook to move on and find a house that's less protected.

The moral of all this is that in light of all this bad news regarding crime statistics in Lowell and the surrounding area last year, I fired off an e-mail to Officer Paul Corcoran at Lowell PD.
Paul has been working on safety issues for years now, and has a pamphlet and tips on every type of safety you can think of. He had several on preventing burglaries and theft.

If you're worried about your home or business being burglarized, or just want to read some interesting stuff about how to do a little better should you ever witness a crime, grab some of the documents below. Paul put together all of them, and he's been on the force since 1983, so I think it's safe to say he knows what he's talking about.
A lot of it is a whole lot easier and cheaper than having an alarm system installed. There's some very interesting and easy stuff we could all do too.

For instance, Paul recommends that if you see a crime occurring you should take note of the suspect's shoes.
"Sometimes a criminal will change their clothes but they will not change their shoes," Paul notes.

Burglary Prevention

Business Burglary Prevention

Homeowner Safety Quiz

Got a GPS in your car? Want to keep it? Read this one.

How To Be a Good Witness

Robbery Kit for Business Owners

Good luck.

So, as of last Sunday, all of us who drive could be looking at a $100 fine if we don't change lanes to create some space for police cruisers, fire trucks, ambulances, tow trucks or MassHighway maintenance crews that park along state highways to do their jobs.

An editor here made an observation the other night about the potential for accidents when people see an emergency vehicle on the shoulder and then change lanes without looking, so it's definitely worth noting that the new law requires ONLY that you change lanes "if it is safe to do so."
In other words, if you have to cut someone off in order to change lanes, it is also legal to just slow down and stay in the lane you are in.

Having been on a ride-along with the State Police and having parked on the shoulder or in the median of plenty of interstates while covering accidents, I can tell you that these emergency responders aren't kidding when they say it can be nerve-wracking to be standing there when a big SUV or a tractor-trailer rips past you at 70 miles an hour just a few feet away in the closest travel lane.

If you've ever changed a tire on your car while people flew past you on the interstate, you've probably felt that burst of wind that feels like a shock wave when a tractor-trailer passes. It's nerve wracking, at least to me.

So, it's pretty simple really. Change lanes if you can, and slow down if you can't change lanes.

If the courtesy of it doesn't motive you, maybe this will.

It's a picture I took in May of 2006 after this car struck a cruiser that was parked in the median of I-495 in Tewksbury with its lights on.
I'm glad I wasn't in that car. And I'd like to make sure my car never looks quite like this.

There were only minor injuries in that accident too, so be aware that it's on the light side of what can happen when you hit a parked police cruiser while going full-speed on the highway.